A doctor practicing holistic medicine in Ennis, Montana (Seagal) attempts to discover a remedy for a dangerous illness released by a paramilitary leader gone off the rails (Gailard Sartain). At the same time, a government team specializing in biological incidents isolates the area. "The Patriot” (1998) feels like a Western transplanted into modern times, borrowing elements from “Outbreak,” which came out three years earlier. It doesn’t reach the level of excitement that film achieved—it had double the financial backing—but there's still plenty to appreciate: the Montana scenery, observations about lethal viruses, the predictable action sequences, and the emphasis on herbal remedies and traditional healing methods instead of standard medications or questionable vaccinations. Given Seagal’s political views and his willingness to criticize what he calls “Russian Collusion” propaganda, I don’t see the militia storyline as an attempt to portray militias or Conservatives negatively. Seagal's character makes it clear that even a group generally doing good things can be corrupted by a radical leader and misguided. The writers simply needed someone to play the villain, and since there aren’t any ANTIFA-like groups in small town Montana, they chose what seemed like an easy target—a militia organization. The opening sequence resembles the 51-day Waco siege of 1993, which involved a controversial response from the FBI and ATF regarding the Branch Davidian compound. McVeigh was present during that siege and later said the government’s actions were a significant factor in his radicalization. I suspect Gailard Sartain's character, Floyd Chisolm, was inspired by someone like McVeigh. This film signaled the start of Seagal’s second decade as a leading man (he had appeared in ten films over the previous ten years, 1988-1997, not including his brief appearance in “My Giant”). The $25 million budget is considerably smaller than the $60 million spent on "Under Siege 2," but it’s more substantial than his later direct-to-video projects, which cost between $5 and $6 million. Nevertheless, $25 million is sufficient to produce a decent movie, especially when you consider that his most well-known film, “Under Siege,” only had a budget of $30 million. The runtime is 1 hour and 30 minutes, and filming took place in Ennis, Montana, as well as the nearby Bozeman, about an hour northwest. GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB